Architects And Styles In The Late 1900s In USA - Thesis Example

ARCHITECTS AND STYLES IN LATE 1900S IN USA Late 19th Century design in America and the Foundations of 20th Century Modernism October 24, Table of Contents Late 19th Century design in America and the Foundations of 20th Century Modernism 1 October 24, 2011 1 1. Introdction 3 2. Architects and Architecture Styles 3 3. Conclusion 8 References 9 1. Introdction Architectural styles refer to the forms, shapes, techniques, materials, region, time period and other influences that define how a structure would appear. Over the centuries since man first started building permanent buildings, different architecture styles have emerged. The style of architecture would be identified by the external profile and appearance, manner in which doors, windows and floor plan is arranged, presence of columns, balustrades, etchings, carvings that can be very elaborate and extensive, shape of the roof and other characteristics. Choice of material also played an important role. Thus, it is possible to quickly identify if a building has a gothic design or Islamic design and so on (Benton, p. 5). In this paper, architectural styles and designs in USA from the 1890 to 1900 will be discussed. Styles such as the end of Neo-Romanesque and Shingle Styles and the beginning of architects, designers and the beginning of Beaux-Arts Eclectic style in America. 2. Architects and Architecture Styles The break from this Neo Romanesque to Modernism was not abrupt but the transformation was gradual. One cannot say when Neo Romanesque ceased to be practiced and the date from when Modernism was started. However, Modernism and Beaux-Arts Eclectic style emerged from these styles as architects took up experimenting with new materials and styles. A brief discussion of Neo Romanesque is given first before the other styles are discussed. 2.1. New Romanesque Style The architecture styles before 1900s were New Romanesque, Victorian and Gothic with huge thick walls, tall columns and ornate carvings. One of the famous architects in the late 1900s was Henry Hobson Richardson who had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The École des Beaux- style is evident in the New Romanesque style he developed. He created a number of buildings in USA from 1880 to 1900. The style he developed was also called as Neo Romanesque and it was a revival of the ancient Roman and Spanish styles but mixed with some modern elements. Some of the structures that belonged to this genre include Trinity Church in Boston; Buffalo State Asylum in New York and other structures. Some other architects that practiced the Neo Romanesque style included Cleveland Cady who built the American Museum of Natural History building. Other structures that came up included the Williams Free Library in Wisconsin designed by Walter Holbrook, Fogg Memorial Building at Maine designed by George A. Clough; Durand Art Institute in Illinois by Henry Ives Cobb and many others. Cement concrete had not been invented in 1890s and the main material used was stone and mortar. The style was called Neo Romanesque since these structures used heavy and short column with extensive brickwork and ornamented by ornate arches. The style puts the focus on clear arches that has a strong picturesque massing with a typical round-headed "Romanesque" arches. The arches emerged from groups of short squat columns. The walls had a number of recessed entrances with blank stretches of walls that often created a contrast with a series of windows. In addition, the structures had typical cylindrical towers with conical caps that were fixed to the walls. The idea was to impress the beholder with the huge mass and imposing presence. These buildings were made of stone and mortar and glass was sparingly used. Most of the structures were a few storey’s in height. Electricity and cement concrete had not yet been invented and advances in structural steel had not yet appeared.(Handlin, p. 37-45). This was one of the fundamental style and many of the later designs were improvements over this style. Improvements by later architects were made in the floor plan layouts, the building façade, layout of the grounds and the overall footprint of the building. Three types of styles are discussed and these emerged from 1890 to the early1900s. The styles were Beaux Arts, Eclectic Style and these later inspired Modernism. 2.2. Beaux Arts Style This style displays the academic neoclassical architectural style that was practiced at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. This style in turn was inspired by Roman architecture. This style was practiced in Paris from the early 1700s onwards under the patronage of the French King. It also had a very strong influence on American architects and figured prominently in many structures from 1880 to 1920. It must be stated that architecture was influenced by the politics and culture of those time. USA was not on very good terms with England which had a feud with France since many centuries. Hence, many architects from USA studied in the Beaux-Arts school in Paris and brought these styles to life in USA. Some of the American architects who studied at this school and who took up these studies include Richard Morris Hunt, Henry Hobson Richardson, Otto Eugene Adams, William A. Boring, William W. Bosworth, Arthur Brown Jr, Daniel Burnham and many others. It would be observed that in many nations and in different eras, a particular style would gain popularity. This would result in a rush for buildings in the selected style and a number of architects would design buildings in this style until the style lost popularity or a new style came into fashion. This has happed for a number of style such as New Romanesque, Beaux Arts, Modernism, Post Modernism and so on (Pederson, p. 59-65). This style was popular from 1885 to 1925 and it integrated the styles of classical Greek and Roman with new renaissance designs. The style was used to design large public buildings and large mansions of the rich. Some of the famous structures in USA are Vanderbilt Marble House in Rhode Island; Grand Central Terminal in New York; the New York Public Library; the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; Carnegie Hall and the Waldorf in New York City. The style was developed in Paris at the École des Beaux Arts where many American architects studied. In this style of architecture, the buildings have a formal design full of grandiosity, and elaborate ornamentation. The style was later abandoned when the new designs of modernism came up and the structures were then regarded as too elaborate and ostentatious (Handlin, p. 250-253). 2.3. Eclectic Style Shingle Style and of Architecture This form of architecture style includes a mix of a large number of styles that were borrowed from Europe. The style was practiced mainly by architects from Dallas in the early 20th century. The style grew up from 1875 onwards and lived n till late 1900s when it made way for the École des Beaux style. There were a number of sub styles of architecture, often created by a single architect who designed one or two buildings. Some of the styles are Colonial Revival Architecture, Georgian Style Architecture, Craftsman Architecture, Craftsman Architecture, Dutch Colonial Architecture, English Country Architecture, French Eclectic Architecture and many others. The style used lightweight material and was often single or two storied. Some of the structures were very elaborate and had elements of Beaux Arts Style. Some of the leading architects were CD Hill, Hal Thomson, Ralph Bryan, Hugh Prather and many others. The style later became out of fashion mainly because of the inefficient use of space and also because the styles were meant for the countryside (Newby, 2010). 2.4. Modernism Modern architecture is identified by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It was influenced and grew from the École des Beaux Arts style. The style believes that form follows function and the simplicity and clarity in the structure is important and it helps in eliminating superfluous details. It also suggested the truth to materials should be followed and this means that the real feature of the material should be seen in its natural beauty. The style mainly grew up as an expression of distaste for elaborate and expensive structures built as per the New Romanesque styles. The term originates from the Spanish term for Art Nouveau called Modernismo. It also had a relation to the modern art and abstract art that was propagated by many modern artists. (Colquhoun, 2002). Modern architecture moved away from the elaborate and heavy gothic structures and instead focused on simplicity in the form and structure of the building. It came up after 1895 and the style made use of technical advances in materials. It gave rise to many different schools of architecture. The buildings had the least possible footprint and a lot of glass, supported by grill and structural steel was used. It was possible to construct very tall buildings and skyscrapers and it allowed the designs to be made functional. Availability of reinforced cement concrete and thicker plate glass that could be drilled allowed the external facade of buildings to be made entirely of glass. Some of the notable buildings in the early years include Wright Larkin Building in New York, Unity Temple in Illinois and the Robie House in Chicago. Modernism also gave rise to a number of other styles. These included Deutscher Werkbund, Bahaus style, Expressionist architecture, Futurist architecture (Jester, p. 39-43). From the 1900s, some architects who belonged to various schools and styles mentioned in Section 2 created masterpieces of design. These architects were the original trendsetters and they started a whole new concept of using materials and technology. Their designs were often copied by other architects. Frank was one of the pioneers of Modernism and created more than 1500 projects around the world from 1890 onwards. He established the concept of the Usonian home that referred to urban planning and building design for USA. Among his creations are the Gammage Auditorium in Arizona; Marin County Civic Center; Price Tower Oklahoma; Johnson Wax Headquarters in Wisconsin and many others. While many of the structures built by Frank were public buildings, his sixty Usonian homes have made a lasting impression for the manner in which houses for middle class people are designed. These Usonian homes were small and single story structures that did not have a garage. They were often L Shaped and made to fit around the garden terrace and built with native materials, cantilevered overhangs and flat roofs. The structures used natural solar heating and natural cooling along with natural lighting. These homes and designs were used by thousands of designers around the world (McCarter, p. 37-42). 3. Conclusion The paper has discussed the important architectural styles in USA from 1890s to 1900s. Some of the styles examined included Modernism, Beaux Arts Style and Eclectic Style. The contributions and works of a number of leading architects were also examined. These include Frank Lloyd Wright. These architects were pioneers and the styles they introduced have had a lasting impact of the style of architecture even to this day. References Colquhoun, A., 2002. Modern Architecture: Oxford History of Art. Oxford University Press, USA Handlin, David. 2004. American Architecture. NY: Thames & Hudson. Jester, Thomas. 1995. Twentieth-Century Building Materials. NY: McGraw-Hill McCarter, Robert. 1991. Frank Lloyd Wright: A Primer on Architectural Principles. USA: Princeton Architectural Press Newby, Douglas, 2010. Eclectic Architecture Pre-1950. Retrieved 20 October from http://www.dougnewby.com/architecture/Styles/Eclectic_Pre_1950.asp Pederson, Rauhe, 2007. How to Read a Building. Harper Collins Publishing, London, UK Read More